Acknowledgments

More than anyone, Anelie Belden has led me to where I am in the fabric arts. She taught me how to sew, taught me how to quilt, taught me how to make garments, and most of all, taught me to love the machine. She is an exceptional teacher. She is an extraordinary artist and designer.

In the creation of this book, Anelie provided insight into what is easy for quilting students to understand, and then she checked the math—evidence of true friendship! Using her experience in quilting, designing quilt patterns, and as an author, she checked my instructions to make sure they were both accurate and understandable. But more than anything else, she gave me the confidence that I could design. For all this and more, I give my most heartfelt thanks and gratitude.

I want to also thank my quilting class girls—Cheryl Allen, Nancy Gebauer, Nancy Hardy, Angel LeSage, Laurel Lissner, Olive Lissner, Trisha Rogers, and Lola Thomas—for helping me make the quilts that are on display in this book and for helping me learn how to teach. Without them, I couldn’t have met my deadlines. By making the quilts, they found the mistakes: both those hidden away and those glaringly obvious.

Special thanks to Sydney Wright for her ever-present assistance and youthful insight. Also invaluable to this endeavor were Beverly Ortiz for binding with perfection, Linda DeRosia for preparing beautiful embroidered labels, and Shannon Ryan-Freeman for her excellent longarm quilting skills.

Finally, I want to thank the people of Scotland, whose rich history and beautiful country have served as an inspiration for these quilting patterns. The world has benefited from their artistry and meticulous weaving skills, which have created so many lovely, lovely plaids and tartans.